Latest news with #Israeli
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Moment Syrian TV journalists are sent running for cover during live broadcast as huge blasts from Israeli airstrikes erupt behind them
Israel launched air attacks on the Syrian ministry of defence in Damascus on Wednesday, claiming to be intervening in support of a minority group after days of deadly clashes in the south of the country. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz shared video showing the moment a Syrian journalist cowered in fear as Israeli strikes rocked the building behind her. Al Jazeera footage from another angle showed huge plumes of smoke billowing into the air as a reporter scrambled for cover. The attack came hours after a drone strike on the same building. Israel also reportedly launched air strikes near the presidential palace in the capital, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera. At least one person is said to have died and 18 have been wounded in the capital, according to state media, citing the country's Health Ministry. The Ministry of Defence has not confirmed any casualties. Zeina Khodr, a reporter for Al Jazeera in Damascus, said: 'Israeli warplanes are circling the skies over the Syrian capital. There's panic in the city, especially after the first major strike.' She reported 'at least three to four strikes' had occurred. Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson, wrote on X that the Israeli army had struck the entrance gate to the General Staff compound in Damascus. He added that the military 'continues to monitor developments and actions against Druze civilians in Syria '. Israel had vowed to ramp up its attacks unless Syrian government forces withdrew from the southern city of Suwayda. Tensions have mounted after Syria's government deployed troops to quell several days of unrest between Druze and Bedouin fighters in the area of southern Syria, which borders Israel. Witnesses, Druze armed groups and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Syrian troops took part in fighting with the Bedouin against the Druze, which Israel has vowed to protect. Israel warned it would escalate its attacks unless Syrian forces withdrew from the south Another video showed a Syrian reporter flinching as the strikes hit the capital The Britain-based war monitor, with sources inside Syria, said that 21 Druze civilians had been killed 'in summary executions by government forces' and allied groups. At least 248 people have been killed in the province since the violence erupted on Sunday, it reported. Israel threatened to escalate its attacks unless Syrian government troops withdrew. After days of clashes, Israel launched a series of strikes targeting government troops and convoys, which it says were in support of the religious minority group. Reuters reporters heard warplanes swoop low over the capital on Wednesday and unleash a series of massive strikes on central Damascus. The cityscape was blanketed in smoke with a thick plume rising from the defence ministry. Writing on social media, Israel Katz said that the 'painful blows have begun.' He promised that troops would 'operate forcefully in Suwayda to eliminate the forces that attacked the Druze until their full withdrawal'. Syria's Defence Ministry had earlier blamed militias in the Druze-majority area of Suwayda for violating a ceasefire agreement, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire. It said they were 'adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes.' The Syrian Ministry of Defence had declared a 'complete ceasefire' in the southern province on Tuesday, qualifying that government forces would only respond to attacks by what the ministry described as 'outlawed groups'. Military police units were reportedly sent to the region to regulate army conduct and hold violators accountable, minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said. Syrian government forces had taken three-quarters of Suwayda after they were deployed to restore order in the region. While some Druze recognise the new government in Damascus, others are wary of the new leadership. Some 153,000 Druze are Israeli citizens, living mainly in the north. In the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967, more than 22,000 Druze hold permanent resident status, but maintain family ties inside Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in February that southern Syria must be completely demilitarised and that Israel would not accept the presence of Damascus's Islamist-led government near its territory. The US, UK and EU began removing sanctions against Syria this month, acknowledging the new transitional government that displaced Bashar Al-Assad in December. But Israel has continued to pound the country with air strikes, and announced plans to increase the number of settlers to the occupied Golan Heights. In the past, the new government has resolved clashes by granting a degree of autonomy to Druze fighters.
Jordan News
20 minutes ago
- Jordan News
Al-Quds Brigades Reveal Details of Attempt to Capture Israeli Soldier in Khan Younis - Jordan News
The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, revealed on Tuesday details of an operation aimed at capturing an Israeli soldier in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. اضافة اعلان A commander in the Al-Quds Brigades stated that last Tuesday, "a special operation was carried out targeting an Israeli armored personnel carrier in eastern Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis, with the goal of capturing Israeli soldiers." He explained that the operation began with the detonation of explosive devices that destroyed the armored vehicle, followed by a close-quarters engagement with its crew. During the clash, brigade members managed to drag an Israeli soldier out of the vehicle in an attempt to capture him. The commander added that Israeli military vehicles heavily bombarded the site of the operation, which hindered the capture and resulted in the soldier's death. It is worth noting that the Israeli army often enacts what is known as the 'Hannibal Procedure,' a military protocol that involves unleashing intense firepower to prevent the capture of its soldiers—even at the risk of harming the soldier being captured.
The Sun
21 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian military HQ in Damascus amid tensions
DAMASCUS: Israeli forces conducted fresh airstrikes near the Syrian army and defence ministry headquarters on Wednesday, according to state-run television. The escalation follows Israel's warning to Damascus over targeting the Druze community in southern Syria. Syrian state television reported the strikes occurred near Umayyad Square, close to the military headquarters in central Damascus. Al Jazeera's live broadcast captured multiple explosions, with smoke rising from the damaged building. Earlier, Syrian government forces had clashed with Druze fighters in Sweida city, an area previously under Druze control. The Israeli military confirmed targeting the headquarters, while Syria's health ministry reported nine injuries. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stern warning, stating, 'The signals to Damascus are over -- now come the painful blows.' He emphasised that Israel would act forcefully in Sweida to push back forces involved in attacks on the Druze. The latest strikes mark a significant escalation in tensions between Israel and Syria, with regional stability at risk. – AFP
USA Today
21 minutes ago
- Politics
- USA Today
'Terrorist act': Ambassador to Israel condemns killing of Palestinian-American
The U.S. ambassador to Israel is asking the country to investigate the death of Palestinian-American Saif Mussallet, who was beaten by Israeli settlers while visiting family in the West Bank. "There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act," Mike Huckabee wrote in a social media post. "Saif was just 20 (years) old." He was a U.S. citizen with family in Tampa, Florida. The West Bank is a largely Palestinian territory, but hundreds of thousands of Israelis have built settlements there, which a United Nations court in 2024 said was illegal. The Biden administration imposed sanctions on Israel for the settlements, but the Trump administration rescinded them in January. Huckabee, who has previously denied the existence of the West Bank, referred to the location of Mussallet's death by the town, Sinjil. Musallet's family said in a statement that medics tried to reach him for three hours before his brother managed to carry him to an ambulance, but that he died before reaching the hospital. "This is an unimaginable nightmare and injustice that no family should ever have to face," the statement said. "We demand the U.S. State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes." Contributing: Reuters
Los Angeles Times
21 minutes ago
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
20 Palestinians killed at Gaza aid distribution site, says Israeli-backed aid group
TEL AVIV, Israel — Twenty Palestinians were killed Wednesday, most of them trampled in a crowd at a food distribution site run by an Israeli-backed American organization in the Gaza Strip, the group said, the first time it has reported deaths at its operations. They came as Israeli strikes killed 41 others, including 11 children, according to hospital officials. The Gaza Humanitarian Fund accused the Hamas militant group of fomenting unrest in the crowd leading to a 'dangerous surge' though it provided no evidence to support the claim. Witnesses said GHF guards threw stun grenades and used pepper spray on people pressing to get into the site before it opened, causing a panic in the narrow, fenced-in entrance. It was the first time GHF has confirmed deaths at one of its food hubs. But since the sites began operating in late May, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in shootings by Israeli soldiers while on roads heading to the sites, according to witnesses and health officials. GHF's four sites are all in military-controlled zones, and the Israeli military has said its troops have only fired warning shots to control crowds. Gaza's more than 2 million Palestinians are living through a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and many are teetering on the edge of famine, according to food security experts. GHF said it believed that 19 of the dead died from trampling at its food distribution center between the southern cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah and one was killed by a stabbing in the crowd. The Gaza Health Ministry said 17 people suffocated at the site and three others were shot. It was not clear if the shootings took place during the crush or earlier on the road to the center. The witnesses did not report shots fired at the center but said Israeli troops fired on the crowds as they headed to the location. Witnesses said that thousands of Palestinians arrived at the site early in the morning, and the Americans contractors guarding it did not open the gates. It was not clear if it was before the site's opening time or if it was not operating at all, since schedules often change. The crowd surged forward at the turnstiles in the fenced-in entranceway, said one survivor, Ahmed Abu Amra. 'The Americans were calling out on the loudspeakers, 'Go back, go back.' But no one could turn around because it was so crowded,' he said. 'Everyone was on top of each other. We tried to pull out the people who were underneath, but we couldn't. The Americans were throwing stun grenades at us.' Other witnesses said the contractors used pepper spray as well. The Health Ministry said tear gas was used, but GHF denied that and said its contractors deployed 'limited use of pepper spray.' It said they fired no shots at the crowd. 'Everyone suffocated from people crushing on top of each other,' said Omar al-Najjar, a Rafah resident, as he and other men carried an injured man on a stretcher. He said the chaos at the sites is forcing Palestinians to 'march towards death.' GHF said it believed elements in the crowd 'armed and affiliated with Hamas' fomented the unrest. It said that its contractors identified men with firearms in the crowd and confiscated one. Distribution at the GHF sites has often been chaotic. Boxes of food are left stacked on the ground inside the center and, once opened, crowds charge in to grab whatever they can, according to witnesses and videos released by GHF itself. In videos obtained recently by The Associated Press from an American contractor working with GHF, contractors are seen using tear gas and stun grenades to keep crowds back behind metal fences or to force them to disperse. Gunshots can also be heard. The United Nations human rights office said Tuesday that 875 Palestinians were killed while seeking food since May. Of those, 674 were killed while en route to GHF food sites. The rest were reportedly killed while waiting for aid trucks entering Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed 22 people in Gaza City, including 11 children and three women, and 19 others in Khan Yunis. The Israeli military said it has struck more than 120 targets in the past 24 hours across the Gaza Strip, including Hamas military infrastructure of tunnels and weapons storage facilities. Israel blames Hamas for the civilian deaths because the group often operates in residential areas. Also on Wednesday, the Israeli military announced the opening of a new corridor — the fourth — that bisects Khan Yunis, where Israeli troops have seized land in what they said is a pressure tactic against Hamas. In the past, these narrow strips of land have been a serious hurdle during ceasefire negotiations, as Israel has said it wants to maintain military presence in them. Negotiations in the Qatari capital between Israel and Hamas are at a standstill, after 21 months of war, which began with the militants' cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023. That day, militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 people, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Fifty hostages are still being held, less than half of them believed to be alive. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its tally. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but is led by medical professionals. The United Nations and other international organizations consider its figures to be the most reliable count of war casualties. Lidman, Shurafa and Frankel write for the Associated Press. Shurafa reported from Deir Al Balah, Gaza Strip and Frankel reported from Ramallah, West Bank.
